Quick acting control valve for water driven centrifugal machines



Nov. 24, 1959 J. 'HERTRlcH Y 2,914,079

QUICK ACTINC CoNTRoL vALvE FCR WATER DRIvEN CENTRIFUCAL MACHINES Original Filed April 6. 1954 #0 /29 A l l l l 9 /27 '24 l I 20a -159 34 l: i l

/15/ l /125 14a E l n m f N 4s 57 im 132 j- 55 las 13o" 26 1224 IH United States Patent QUICK ACTING CONTROLVALVE FOR WATER DRIVEN CENTRIFUGAL MACHINES Joseph Hertrich, deceased, late of Hamilton, Ohio, by Elise Hertrich, executrix, Hamilton, Ohio; said Joseph Hertrich assignor to 'I'he Western States Machine Company, Hamilton, Ohio, a corporation of Utah Original application-April 6, 1954, Serial No. 421,383. Divided andthis application April 6, 1955, Serial No. 501,683

2 Claims. (Cl. 137-219) An important object of this invention is to provide anv improved control valve for centrifugal machines driven by a water turbine, which causes the machine to accelerate at a uniform rate under a safely limited torque input, and whereby the motive water power is cut oif in instantaneous response to -a power failure in the control system so as to discontinue the driving action on the machine.

Another object is to provide a flow Vcontrol device for regulating the jet of a water turbine, such device .being particularly suited for trol means.

A control organization for a hydraulic turbine according to this invention includes a nozzle for directing a jet of liquid against the turbine wheel and .means for selectively supplying liquid under pressure to the nozzle. The means for supplying liquid comprises a pressure liquid chamber having an outlet connected with said nozzle and a valve member in saidv chamber movable to open and close said outlet. Yieldable means areV provided to urge the valve closed, and the valve is equipped with means responsive to liquid pressure in the chamber for overbalancing the force of the yieldable means to urge the valve open. Secondary means normally responsive to liquid pressure in said chamber are provided for urging the valve closed with -a force additive to the force of the said yieldable means, and remotely controllable means are provided to relieve the liquid pressure acting on the secondary means to control the opening and closing of the valve.

Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment and yfrom the accompanying drawing thereof.

The drawing is a longitudinal cross-section through a preferred form of the control valve.

Control ofk the power developed by a water turbine for bringing a heavy gyratory centrifugal machine to the desired full operating speed is effected by awater flow control valve 1-17 which is used, for example, to regulate the water ow through a nozzle that directs a jet of the water into an impulse turbine driving the machine. To provide the high power necessary for acceleration of the machine, the nozzle is opened to direct the water jetagainst the wheel. When the full-speed of the machine is reached the nozzle may be closed to allow the machine to coast at high speed without continued motive power. The control valve is a pressure responsive quick acting valve which is particularly suitable for remote control by suitable automatic lcontrol means.

As' seen in the drawing, valve 1'17 includes an elongated, hollow, valve body 118 having an inlet 119 at one remote control by automatic cona water chamber 118g between the-ends.

2,914,079 Patented Nov. 24, 1959 ICC end, an axially aligned outlet 120 at the other end and Outlet 120 is denned by a replaceable, wear-resistant ring 121 that .onus an annular seat 12in for the conical tip 122b of .in axially reciprocable valve needle 122. A substantially tynndncal needle housing 123 is disposed within and on the axis of the valve body 118 in spaced relation to the surrounding wall of the water chamber, housing 123 being supported in that position by ribs 124 extending from the chamber wall. The needle housing forms an elongated cylindrical chamber 125 which is open at its end nearer to outlet 120 and which slidably receives needle 122 through the open end. A lining 126 forms thel inner wall of chamber 125, and a rear end wall of this chamber is formed by a plate 128 which constitutes a spring seat having an aperture 128a to connect chamber 125 with a cavity- 127 in the rear end of housing 12311, The cylindrical stem or plunger 122a of the needle is sealed against the inner cylindrical surface of lining 126 and is provided with a series of external grooves 132 which assist the sliding and sealing actions of the needle.

The needle 122 isformed with an axial cavity 130 that vopens from its rear end finto chamber 125 and receives a compression spring 131 bearing againstthe plate 128. Thekspring serves to move the needle to its closed position against the valve seat under circumstances hereinatter described. i

The pressure ofwaterin chamber 118aiof the valve body 118 can be transmitted Ainto chamber 125, for applying pressure to theQback'of needle 122, through a pilot valve indicated generally at 129,u a duct 13S lead.-

ing into the pilot valve from lchamber `11811, and a duct 136 leading into cavity 127 from lthe pilot valve.

The pilot valve 129 includes a valve body 140 having therein a chamber l1.45 whichcommunicatesfwith duct 135 through port 146 and a -tilter plug 161 and communicates with duct 136 through a `port 147 containing a restricted passageway or bleeder 155 for limiting the rate of water tlow into and from the `needle housing. The wall of chamber `145 opposite to port 146 has al1 outlet opening 151 which normally is closed by a movable valve needle 144 held against the mouth of this opening by a spring 138. A .forward surface 144aof the same valveneedle is arrangedto open and close the passageway through port-146 by movement of the needle relative to seat element 143 in port 146, the arrangement being such that port 146 is open when port 151 is closed by needle 144 and,po rt l151`is` open when port 146 vis closed thereby. When port 151 is open, water can iiow freely through it into a chamber 149 of the pilotvalve body and thence through port 150 at the bottom of that chamber into a drain pipe 152.

The pilot valve needle I144 has a s tem 141 which exarates chamber l149 from another chamber 139 at the end of the pilot Valve body. The compression spring 138 surrounds stem 141 and bears against the diaphragm 137, thus normally holding the valve needle in closed relation to port 151. Chamber 139, however, is connected with a conduit 160 through which compressed air may be admitted into `this chamber, and when the pressure against diaphragm 137 -of air in chamber 139 ex' ceeds the pressure of s pring138, the valve needle 144-is moved from 4its normalvv position lin which' port 151 is closed to a position in which port 146 is closed.

Accordingly, the admission of compressed air to the pilot Valve through conduit 160 serves to close the passageways connecting the water chamber 118a with the main needle chamber and to release through bleeder and port 151 any water pressure existing in chamber 125, while the venting of air pressure from the pilot s2 valve serves to interconnect'chamber 118g and chamber 125 so that the pressure of water in the former will be transmitted into the latter and thus will be applied to the rear end of the plunger l122a of needle 122. It results that in the normal position of the pilot valve, the full water pressure being applied to the rear end of the valve needle 122, this pressure together with the force of the spring 131 will move needle 122 to its closed position where the needle will be heldl as long as the pilot valve stays in normal position thus pre'- venting the passage of water to the nozzle S' or 104 of the impulse wheel.

It will be noted further, however, that the plunger portion 122a of needle 122 terminates at'V a forwardly facing shoulder 134 on a forward part of this needle within water chamber 11821. This shoulder presents a suicient area that the backward pressure exerted against it by the water present in chamber 11821 substantially exceeds the forward seatingforce exerted on needle 122 by the weight of the needle and/or by the compression spring 131 when the needle is in its seated position. Accordingly, when the pilot valve 129 is moved fromk its normal closed position to its other or active position, the water pressure normally applied against the back end of needle 122 is released from chamber 125, and the backward pressure still exerted on shoulder 134 then moves needle 122 awayfrom its seated position. To facilitate this unseating movement, the spring 131 may be made or arranged so that it exerts little or no force until the needle has moved a substantial distance, say A of an inch, away from seat 121a.A `As the needle moves to open port 120, the conical end surface 122b also becomes subject to the pressure of the water supply; so this pressure continues to move the needle backward against spring 131 until the valve is fully open. The water in chamber 118:1 then flows under its full pressure through port 120 and passage 115 to form a Wheel-driving jet as it issues from a water nozzle.

If any failure occurs in the supply of air pressure for ythe pilot valve, the water jet driving the machine is automatically cut oft` by action of the control' valve, due to the release of air pressure from chamber 139 and the resulting closing movement of needle 122.

In the use of the control valve, the inlet 119 is connected with a source of water held constantly under a pressure suitable for driving the water turbine, and the compressed air line 160 is connected through a suitable air valve, for example', a hand operated or sclenoid-operated` three-way air valve, with a source of air held constantly under a pressure sufcient to overbalance the pilot valve spring 138. A hand operated three-Way `air valve is illustrated diagrammatically at 162 in the drawing. When a solenoid-operated air valve is used, it may be actuated by electrical control means of a type widely used for controlling the operations of sugar centrifugals.

It will be understood that the new features of this invention may be embodied in various forms of apparatus without restriction to details of the illustrated embodiment.

What is claimed is:

1. A flow control device for a pressure fluid conduit comprising an elongated hollow valve body having inlet and loutlet openings at the respective ends thereof and forming a pressure chamber between said openings, an elongated cylindrical plunger housing axially disposed within and in spaced relation to the walls of said chamber, a valve plunger movable axially within said housing between positions opening and closing said outlet opening, yieldable means positioned in said housing to be compressed by opening movement of said plunger and for applying a force urging the plunger towards closed position, said plunger having a forwardly facing shoulder formed thereon which is responsive to fluid pressure in said chamber for applying a force suflicient to overbalance the force of said yieldable means so as to urge said plunger towards open position, said plunger having `a rear face disposed within said housing, duct means normally operative to conduct the Huid pressure in said chamber to said rear face to urge said plunger towards closed position with a force additive to the force of said yieldable means, means operable to close said duct means and simultaneously relieve the uid pressure acting on said rear face' whereby the pressure on said shoulder will move the plunger to open position, and remote control means for operating said last-recited means.

2. A ilow control device for a pressure uid conduit comprising an elongated hollow valvek body having inlet and outlet openings at the respective ends thereof and forming a pressure chamber between said openings, an elongated cylindrical plunger housing axially supported within and in spaced relation to the walls of said valve body by rib means having duct means formed therein, a valve plunger movable axially within said housing between positions opening and closing said outlet opening, yieldable means positioned to be compressed by said plunger for applying a force urging the plunger to wards closed position, said plunger having a forward face seatable in said outlet opening to close the outlet opening and responsive lwhen unseated to fluid pressure in said chamber for applying a force overbalancing the force of said yieldable means so as to urge the plunger v toward open position, said plunger having a rear face disposed within said housing and responsive when subjected to the fluid pressure in said chamber to urge the plunger toward closed position with a force additive to the force of said yieldable means, means including a pilot valve connected to said duct means for admitting a supply of fluid under pressure from said chamber to, and for releasing uid under pressure from, said pressure responsive rear face, spring means normally holding the pilot valve in one position in which it opens the Huid supply to said pressure responsive rear face, and means responsive to an independent source of control fluid under pressure for overbalancing the force of said spring means and moving said valve to another position in which it concomitantly closes said fluid supply and releases the liuid pressure from said rear face, said plunger having a forwardly facing shoulder formed thereon which is continuously responsive to uid pressure in said chamber to apply a relatively small force in a direction urging the plunger toward open position, said force being much below the force applied by the uid pressure on said rear face but suicient to unseat the plunger when the latter pressure is released.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 753,155 MacFarlane Feb. 23, 1904 845,058 Dake Feb. 26, 19.07 1,918,891 Barrett July 18, 1933 1,925,301 Campbell Sept. 5, 1933 2,085,893 Boland July 6, 1937 2,124,619 Kerr July 26, 1938 2,304,323 Wiegers Dec. 8, 1942 2,402,496 Hertrich June 18, 1946 2,609,832 Smith Sept. 9, 1952 

